Photo Essay: Sint Maarten Vs. Saint Martin

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At Marigot Market, St Maarten

On my first Christmas as an employee (ok, let me correct - as a trainee), I went on a Cruise across the Caribbean, stopping at some of the major islands - British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and St Maarten, among others. 

It's fairly difficult to go the off beaten track when on a cruise, as you will often only have a couple of hours to discover the island before the Cruise sails away to the next destination (even without you in it!). This is the main reason for which we decided to go for organized activities most of the time - except for St Maarten. 

Saint Martin - The French Side

We rented a car and drove all the way from the dutch to the french side, to visit Marigot. This open-air market is set on Wednesdays and offers a colorful combination of homegrown products, tropical fruits and vegetables, exotic spices and freshly caught fish. It's a great opportunity to grab some local food and do some people watching next to the water. 

Marigot Market

Local fruits and vegetables, some spices and, obviously, some souvenirs too

However, besides for this market, the french side didn't feel too welcoming: restaurants had french prices with bad service, and we even had to queue and pay to using a dirty bathroom. Then again, this is the impression I got after 2 hours in town - I'm sure things would be fairly different if a) I spoke french and b) I would have known where to go.

Sint Maarten - The Dutch Side

We then drove back to Philipsburg (the dutch side) in the afternoon sun. Philipsburg was more civilized and european than Marigot. It had lots of shops, bars and restaurants to spend the rest of the day chilling while drinking a fresh pressed mixed fruit juice on a sunny terrace. What I liked most from the city was its architecture. It is an combination of dutch and caribbean - with a particular colonial style. 

Isn't this a cute Courthouse?

Church made of Bricks and Wood

Although Philipsburg is touristic, I really recommend staying for an afternoon - after all, St. Maarten is the only completely duty-free port in the Caribbean (and Philipsburg must have more shops than locals!).

Facts on the Island

Some other interesting facts you may not know about Saint Martin / Sint Maarten:

1. Legends suggest that when the Dutch and the French agreed to share the island,  they decided to determine the borders by having a race - starting in Oyster Pong (east cost), a Frenchman and a Dutchman started running as fast as they could in opposite directions along the coast. Wherever they met would be the dividing border.
2. It seems as if the Frenchman ran faster, because the French ended up with 21 square miles compared to the Dutch, that kept 16 square miles.
3. Before October 2010, St Maarten belong to the Netherlands Antilles. It now is a new constituent state within the Kingdom of Netherlands.
4. A new currency, the Caribbean Guilder, is to be set in January 2012. This will also be used in Curaçao. 
5. It's airport, Princess Juliana International, is ranked among the most dangerous airports Worldwide. It's short landing strip forces the plane to approach the island flying extremely low, right over tourists' heads at Maho Beach. 

Have you been to Saint Martin / Sint Maarten? Which side do you prefer?

Want to see more pictures of Sint Maarten? Visit my Flickr Gallery!